Highly polymorphic DNA markers in an Africanized honey bee population in Costa Rica

Abstract

Two genetic markers (the mtDNA COI-COII intergenic region and the microsatellite A7) with high levels of variability in South African and European honey bees were analyzed in wild swarms of Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera) from Costa Rica. Allelic or haplotypic frequencies revealed high levels of genetic variability at these loci in this population. Most of the alleles were African alleles, although some European-derived alleles were also present. Differences in the frequencies of African alleles between African andAfricanized samples were minor, which could be explained by founder effects occurring during the introduction of African honey bee populations into South America.